In the age of gig economy, mobile apps focused on food delivery or transporting people have proven to be the ultimate side job for thousands of people. Contrary to what many people think about these kinds of professions, they actually pay quite well and can help you generate additional income to save up or spend on necessities.
There are, of course, delivery companies and apps that don’t really treat their drivers too well. If the delivery company has a route planner app to support you in finding the most suitable route for your deliveries, you can be assured that the delivery company can look after you. You should stay away from delivery and ridesharing start-ups or any kind of a service that’s new and unproven on the market. On the other hand, even well-respected, established companies may get it wrong sometimes. Just ask the guys working for Amazon Flex.
Driving with companies such as Uber and Lyft can be very profitable if done correctly. Provided that you meet the vehicle requirements and educate yourself on the best practices, you may find yourself making more cash than at your main job! There are many ways in which you can streamline and improve on your shifts. For more information, click here.
One of the major decisions you need to make regarding these gigs is the company you want to be working for. Keep reading to find out which side hustle is the better fit for you!
Food Delivery: Fit and Furious
If you’re looking to get into the delivery business, there are a few ways you can go about it. One of the more obvious differences between driving other people around and delivering food is the fact that you don’t even need a car to do the latter.
In fact, if you ask a delivery driver about the superior method of getting the package from point A to point B, don’t be surprised if they reply that you should hop on a bicycle. First of all, it allows you to almost completely skip traffic jams. It’s especially advantageous during rush hours, giving you an edge over the guys stuck in their cars. If you decide to ride your bike for Uber Eats or any other delivery apps out there, you’ll be able to deliver more efficiently and quickly.
Although it’s fast, convenient, and healthy, biking for a delivery company isn’t for everyone. First of all, if you’re out of shape, it might be a little bit too much for you to handle. The pressure to deliver the food on time is immense, and it’s only multiplied once you consider the tips you can miss out on by taking too long. If you really want to work for a food delivery service in this way, you should work on your physical condition before you get into it.
Secondly, you should be aware of the geography of your city and its surrounding area. In certain places, it can be a huge nuisance to deliver on a bicycle. Can you imagine climbing up the hills of San Francisco on a bike multiple times a day? Delivery apps in rural areas may even have stricter vehicle requirements and not allow a bicycle at all, since the distances between your destinations would be significantly larger than in a densely populated city.
Ridesharing: Comfortable Inconvenience
If you’re not even willing to entertain the idea of riding a bike around town, you may want to pick driving for apps like Uber and Lyft, as opposed to food delivery companies. Of course, you can still use a car when working with DoorDash or Postmates, but when you factor in the gasoline costs and the amount of money you can make per hour, the choice becomes a no-brainer, really. You can make much more money putting taxi drivers out of work as an Uber driver.
Regardless of whether you pick Uber or Lyft as your preferred employer (keep in mind that you can also work for both), you should be aware of a few facts before you start.
Contrary to working for a food delivery company, all of the most popular ride-hailing applications use a star-based review system to evaluate how good you are at driving people around. This means having to put a bit of extra effort here and there, in order for customers to give you those five stars every time they leave your car. Most people simply just give out the maximum rating upon arrival, but some of them are more demanding, and they can make a difference. You don’t necessarily have to go out of your way to accommodate everybody, but keeping a few charging cables and being mindful of your customers’ moods (as in knowing when to talk and when to stay quiet) should be enough.
Being a driver for Lyft or any other ridesharing service has its disadvantages, too. For example, the Uber app can sometimes give you the wrong location for pickups, which means wasting a lot of time only to find out that your client is standing way over on the other side of a busy intersection.
The Bottom Line
When it comes to generating an extra bit of income, working for delivery apps, such as Uber Eats or driving people around with Uber and Lyft are valid choices. You can also consider an alternative in Amazon Flex, which will have you deliver packages as an independent contractor, although, as of right now, the service is still in its early stages. Many drivers strongly recommend dropping Flex for a gig at Uber or one of the other delivery or ridesharing services. At the end of the day, the choice is yours — you should pick whatever you’re most comfortable with while keeping in mind the financial aspect of this decision.
Maciej Grzymkowski